San Jose Sharks forward faces NHL justice

San Jose Sharks forward Ryane Clowe is a gritty, hard-nosed player who may have stepped over the line Friday night.

During a game with Chicago Blackhawks, Clowe appeared to leave the ice during an altercation and may be facing a 10-game suspension. The play happened after Blackhawks Andrew Shaw drove Sharks Joe Pavelski into the boards directly in front of the Sharks bench. Clowe was suspended and missed the Sharks Saturday game against the Dallas Stars.

Here is a look at that play.

Here is the rule from NHL.com.

70.10 Fines and Suspensions – The first player to leave the players’ or penalty bench during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation from either or both teams shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next ten (10) regular League and/or Play-off games of his team.

The 10-game suspensions were meant to stop craziness like this from 1980, which goes on and on and on. “All we need now, is for someone to go into the stands.”

The Clowe hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, according to Twitter reports.